Mark 9:33-37
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

The path to success in God’s kingdom is certainly not the path the world takes to gain success. Jesus reminds us today that greatness in God’s eyes is not being recognized as the one who saved most souls or being chosen the best in our service to God but it is instead helping people to remember God and not ourselves and serving him for his glory. This is totally contrary to success in this world where people commend us by the magnitude of our achievements, the significance of our wealth, the vastness of our reach and so on. We become a brand and success is measured by a recognizable yardstick.

In Christ, we are expected to serve him selflessly and he will reward us when we meet God face to face. Therefore, I need to be serving God as a child of God and not as Vineet because then it will be about me. My service to God is to share the good news of the gospel and point people to Christ. My joy should be to humble myself before man to show them what God’s love was, even as low as washing the feet of other men if that’s what it takes to show them God’s love. This is certainly not something most of us are willing to do and if we are, not something we will do publicly. At some point, we want recognition and some comforting of our own ego but that is where we are missing the point of the gospel. Christ came here on earth to serve us and to die on the cross for us which is our role model. I hope you are challenged to consider your service to God as joy and humility in our service as our way of showing his love to the world. Our reward is already given to us when we submitted our lives to Jesus’s authority.

In His Loving Service,
Vineet

God's Unspoken Beauty

bhoktaram yajna-tapasam

sarva-loka-mahesvaram

suhrdam sarva-bhutanam

jnatva mam santim rcchati (Bg 5.29)

Real peace can only come when we accept Krishna as the proprietor and enjoyer of everything. We have nothing to fight about. So this is the devotee! Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wants to reveals to the world what pleases Him through the prayers of His devotees. They were willing to stay in this material world, that was their humility, “But just let me be with Your devotees and chant Your names with them,” That is the beauty of the association of devotees. It is the place were people actually believe in the supreme eternal form and pastimes of the Lord. It is people who want to please the Lord eternally as His servants.

In the association of devotees the glories of the Lord are being discussed. The teachings of the Lord are being promoted and everyone is united finding the ultimate happiness in loudly glorifying His holy names – Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. When we chant the holy names and glories of the Lord as well as hear them Krishna is pleased, when Krishna is pleased within our heart He dispels all of the dirtiness of our hearts. It is not just a mechanical process. It is not that we are just chanting and therefore we are getting purified. We should understand how I am getting purified and why we are getting purified because Krishna is non different than His name. Krishna’s name has sweet will. It is not just a sound vibration. It is God who has incarnated in sound vibration.
- Association of Devotees is the Greatest Benediction SB-04.22.20

For Not All Have Faith

The apostle Paul faced many dangerous times when people were trying to kill him for preaching the gospel.     He had ambushes set up against him that failed when they were discovered.     He even had to escape in the middle of the night by being let down from the city wall in a basket.

After 2,000 years, life is still like that for many Christians.     There are many countries around the world in which Christians are imprisoned, tortured, and killed for their faith.     Even in the States, the Christian faith is being maligned these days.

Because of all the dangers he faced, Paul had this to say in 2 Thessalonians 3:1-3,

Finally, brethren,  pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified,  just as it did also with you;  and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men;  for not all have faith.

But the Lord is faithful;  and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

For various reasons, many of those who do not have faith take it upon themselves to molest and destroy Christians — even though they have been unprovoked.     The concepts of the gospel seem to incite insidious hatreds within them.     The various manners in which they detest Jesus Christ — God Almighty — for His love and sacrifice on their behalf, are difficult to comprehend.    

That is why Paul comforts Christians by reminding us,  “But the Lord is faithful;  and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”     In other words, these hateful attacks are really from the devil.     The attackers cannot come up with a valid reason for their behaviors because they are under the influence of the evil one.     That is why many of their attacks are covert in all sorts of deceitfulness.

Paul gives this as the reason why we all need to pray for one another, and especially for those who are preaching the word of God around the world.

As we give thanks to our Lord for opening our hearts and minds to salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ, let us also pray for Christians everywhere, that they may “be delivered from perverse and evil men” and strengthened in the true faith.

When Paul was imprisoned for preaching, he witnessed to the people by quoting Isaiah.    In Acts 28:26-27, Paul quotes Isaiah as saying,

Go to this people and say,   
“You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;   
And you will keep on seeing,  but will not perceive;   
For the heart of this people has become dull,   
And with their ears they scarcely hear,   
And they have closed their eyes;   
Lest they should see with their eyes,   
And hear with their ears,   
And understand with their heart and turn again,   
And I should heal them.”

In other words, the unbelievers do not want to believe.     They do not want to humble themselves before God Almighty because of their pride and arrogance.     For whatever reason, they have deluded their hearts into feeling that they will gain eternal bliss all by themselves in their own way — without having to have faith in the sacrifice Christ freely made for us on the cross.

Because that’s the way it will be until Judgment Day, we need to pray for one another in Christian love.     As we put ourselves into our Lord’s care, we say,  “Hallelujah!     Lord, thank You for giving me the opportunity to witness to Your love and salvation.     Stay by our side all the way.”

Love,  
Margaret

A devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and King of kings…

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I’m Weak but Ye Are Strong.
I lift my hands unto the Great Spirit and worship. He who has by himself created all things visible and invisible, who has blessed me with long life, who has set me upon my Mother and among the Human Beings. I worship his name and worship him with an unsoiled spirit and heart.
Many moons have passed and my memory flickers as a candle on a windy day, that’s ready to die out forever more.  I have seen unspeakable things, that have been committed against the Human Beings, hard to be spoken of, the cry of the young for their mothers and mothers for their children that will never return unto to them ever again.
The wisdom of our Elders died with our old a helpless people, they embraced those who traveled across the deep waters, they came with a split tongue, killing our people and fed them to their dogs, covering our Mother with a heavy blanket, killing our buffalo for sport. Our land is sacred! Our Mother has nourished our fathers and our children and the creatures have given their lives for meat and their skins to keep us warm.
They didn’t understand, nor do they still understand the way of life, they despise the day of small things and raped our mother for gain and pleasure, we must keep the decree of life and respect the land. Our Mother has been provoked and she will shake the heaviness that has been placed on her.
The blood of our children cries unto the Great Spirit. They cannot feel the fire of the heavens which has nourished their existence and given them their beauty. Oh Great Spirit this is a good day to die, I’m weak but ye are strong keep me in the right path, which our fathers have taken back to you, I humble myself to be accepted in your most sacred presences.
©2007

“In fact Caitanya Mahaprabhu said blaspheming a devotee is like drinking poison. Praising devotees and Krishna is like drinking nectar. So if we have actually a position of humility and pridelessness which Prabhupada is emphasising here in, then we can actually understand what is the spiritual principle of ahimsa. What is actual non-violence? Para upkar. Really living for the welfare of other living beings. As long as we want to be the master, as long as we want to be controller, as long as we have this desire for possession for pratistha, as long as we have this desire for enjoyment either on the gross or subtle levels then we are impelled to various activities that unnecessarily hurt other people’s hearts or disregard other species of lives hearts.”  – What Exactly is Non Violence SB-02.07.37

A wood worker in New Paltz, NY. This guy is a great friend and an amazing craftsman. When people go into an interview and say cheezy things like… “I strive for perfection.” Well, Greg really does, and he is very humble about his abilities.  If your looking for a anything from a handcrafted bed to a custom made stone walkway this guy is your man.  He will travel anywhere within 40miles of New Paltz, NY.

And all of you must put on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the scripture says, “God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5 (TEV)

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Real servants maintain a low profile. Servants don’t promote or call attention to themselves. Instead of acting to impress and dressing for success, they “put on the apron of humility, to serve one another” (1 Peter 5:5 TEV).

If recognized for their service, they humbly accept it but don’t allow notoriety to distract them from their work. Paul exposed a kind of service that appears to be spiritual but is really just a put-on, a show, an act to get attention. He called it “eyeservice,” serving in order to impress people with how spiritual we are (Ephesians 6:6 KJV; Colossians 3:22 KJV). (My favourite part!! i like the term “eyeservice” .. we need to make sure we are glorifying God and not ourselves!)

This was a sin of the Pharisees. They turned helping others, giving, and even prayer into a performance for others. Jesus hated this attitude and warned, “When you do good deeds, don’t try to show off. If you do, you won’t get a reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:1 CEV).

Self-promotion and servanthood don’t mix. Real servants don’t serve for the approval or applause of others. They live for an audience of One. As Paul said, “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10 NIV).

You won’t find many real servants in the limelight; in fact, they avoid it whenever possible. They are content with quietly serving in the shadows.

Joseph is a great example. He didn’t draw attention to himself, but quietly served Potiphar, then his jailer, then Pharaoh’s baker and wine taster, and God blessed that attitude. When Pharaoh promoted him to prominence, Joseph still maintained a servant’s heart, even with his brothers, who had betrayed him.

Unfortunately, many leaders today start off as servants but end up as celebrities. They become addicted to attention, unaware that always being in the spotlight blinds you.

You may be serving in obscurity in some small place, feeling unknown and unappreciated. Listen: God put you where you are for a purpose! He has every hair on your head numbered, and he knows your address.

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Till next time!

]]> http://synergyhomecare.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/10-ways-to-celebrate-family-caregivers-in-spring-texas/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:42:22 +0000 andreamosher http://synergyhomecare.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/10-ways-to-celebrate-family-caregivers-in-spring-texas/

November is National Family Caregivers Month!  Below are 10 ways to celebrate.  Visit us at www.synergyhomecare.com if you need caregiving help in the area.

Top 10 Ways to Celebrate National Family Caregivers Month 2009

There are many ways to celebrate family caregivers and to take action and communicate the important messages of NFC Month.

The following are ideas and guides to help you create a successful National Family Caregivers Month in your community:

1. Offer a few hours of respite time to a family caregiver so they spend time with friends, or simply relax.
2. Send a card of appreciation or a bouquet of flowers to brighten up a family caregiver’s day.
3. Encourage local businesses to offer a free service for family caregivers through the month of November.
4. Participate in the National Family Caregivers Association’s FREE national teleclass: Safe & Sound: How to Prevent Medication Mishaps The free one hour teleclass/webinar will be November 12 at 2 p.m. ET. For more information visit: www.thefamilycaregiver.org.
5. Help a family caregiver decorate their home for the holidays or offer to address envelopes for their holiday cards.
6. Offer comic relief! Purchase tickets to a local comedy club, give a family caregiver your favorite funny movie to view, or provide them an amusing audio book to listen to while doing their caregiving activities.
7. Find 12 different family photos and have a copy center create a monthly calendar that the family caregiver can use to keep track of appointments and events.
8. Offer to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for a caregiving family in your community, so they can just relax and enjoy the holiday.
9. A United States postage stamp honoring the more than 50 million family caregivers in America is officially “under consideration” by the U.S. Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee for introduction as early as 2011. Sign the petition at www.thefamilycaregiver.org and ask others to sign the petition letter.
10. Help a family caregiver find information and resources on the internet or to locate a local support group.

Original content can be found HERE.

We shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavoring to know God;

for, beholding His greatness, we realize our own littleness;

His purity shows us our foulness;

and by meditating upon His humility we find how very far we are from being humble.

Know-it-all.  That’s what I’d call myself.  I know Scripture, I know my Savior, I know it all.

Ok, now that THAT is out, I can truly say, WRONG!

God has shown me in the last 2 years what the previous 20 didn’t.  The first 20 years of knowing Him was about facts.  I had all the answers or could find them easily with my Bible, knew He had me here for a purpose, and knew my job on earth is a wife and mother first and foremost.  But in the last 2 years, God has opened my eyes to a greater knowledge of Him.  In all my attempts to gain knowledge in Bible Studies, Sunday School and Ministries, He used something so simple to reveal Himself:  His Word.

Our family began studying under ‘expository’ preaching and teaching.  Now, it’s not the style of teaching I want to emphasize, but what that has brought my family in 2 years.  Going line by line in scripture, we have gone through EVERY verse in Revelation, Ephesians, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Acts and Judges.  Currently, we are in Chapter 10 of Romans in Bible Study and Proverbs 14 on Sundays.  Now this isn’t just reading, but absorbing what God has to say.  I’ve learned that  blessings are not dependent on me or my obedience, but on His unwavering love toward me.  I’ve learned these past years that I am a truly selfish person.  Even in my attempts to do what He has called me results in a prideful sense of accomplishment…though it is for His glory.  I’ve learned what humility truly is, and that to stand firm in His Word means more to Him than anything else I could do. But the most recent lesson He taught me is my works mean nothing to Him without my heart first.

This weekend is our women’s retreat.  I received a letter of information the other day and one thing it reminded me is to pray and prepare my heart for what the Lord will do.  I know He will do mighty things this weekend, but to actually go and prepare my heart before hand was not something I thought about.  I am thankful for the reminder (and dash of humility) that came.

But God in His infinite wisdom didn’t stop with prompting  me to prepare my heart.  The very next morning, my devotional mentioned that retreats can bring out the selfish in us.  This is MY time with God.  He will speak to ME.  He will use ME.  He will show ME.  He will bless ME.  Those were exactly the words I needed to hear.  This weekend is not about me, but about His Kingdom and what He will reveal.  He was reminding me that I am nothing, yet He wants to make me a part of His plan.  Lord, mold my heart into what you want!

Yes, God has a plan for me.  I must not insist upon it for my benefit, but for His glory, His Kingdom and His purpose.  When God is fully my Lord, I will do everything with a heart to fulfill His kingdom.  Oh, He is teaching me so much.  I pray you too learn a deeper understanding of His glory.  He is God-let us never forget!

Understand, that one hand at a hip,

The other determined to a clench,

Doesn’t make me  mad,  or wide awake

Within intensity, or Right there at clarity.

I maybe,  I might say that definitely,

left with me..what gets done,

                                                It’s not deftly.

Of course,  What happens…Another matter.

When nature mothers me through the storm,

Without my hand near

Hot  Chaos Stew  splatter.

It’s wrong for my strong hand

To gauge the guts of what’s in the  Maelstrom,

Maybe wrong for this voice

to chime at all, with my noise,

with nature’s song sung, so deftly.

He Regards The Lowly

King David wrote a psalm of thanksgiving.     He was very thankful that the LORD God Almighty actually cared about him and even acted to save him and lead him through this life.     God personally cared about David.

David found God’s attention to all his needs a very awesome thing to think about.     How can it be that the LORD of lords, who created all things, and controls all things would stoop down to take care of one little man like David on this earth, when there are so many others who are greater in all sorts of ways?

And so, David wrote in Psalm 138:6,

For though the LORD is exalted,   
Yet He regards the lowly;   
But the haughty He knows from afar.

God is very special in the way He sees the truth about people.     He sees things people often do not see or dare to consider.    

Usually, our experience in this world is that the haughty, the proud, and aggressive people are the ones who get all the attention from other people.    They demand it.     So, in general, people often feel that those who are very self-assertive and demanding must somehow “know” that they are “better” than others.     Consequently, many will look up to the haughty and serve them in various ways — just because they “seem” to be leaders of some sort.

But, David sees that the LORD, who is truly exalted throughout all the heavens and rules over all things, actually distances Himself from the haughty.     When mere creatures, created by God, try to make out like they are better than others, God is disgusted with them.     God made them.     He knows very well that they are actually helpless, sinful creatures, doomed to die eternally in their sins — unless they learn to humble themselves and admit their wretchedness.

So what does this say about us?     What is our attitude towards other people and toward God, our Creator?     Do we think we’re too good to have to bow down and confess our sins?     Do we think we’re in control of our own lives and have no need to obey an old-fashioned God with old-fashioned morals?

It is God who is eternally exalted.     We all will soon pass away — helpless and in great need of God’s mercy and forgiveness.

David was thankful that God had regard for him in all his lowliness.     He knew he was greatly honored to have God care about his every thought.     It is an honor to have God love us so much that He would even send His only begotten Son to die for our sins.

Because it is such an honor to have God love even us, let us repent of all our sins and let God teach us His ways — so that we may remain in His grace forever.     It is so good to be personally cared for so tenderly.

We do need to realize who and what we are in comparison to God.     Let that truth move us to give God the honor and glory that are due to His holy name.     If we don’t obey God now, we certainly will wish that we had in eternity.

As we enjoy God’s tender loving care for each of us, we say,  “Hallelujah!     Thank You, my Lord, for patiently and faithfully stooping down to pick me up.”

Love,  
Margaret

A devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and King of kings…

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There are two types of creatives in this world:

Those that are threatened by their peers, and those that are often humbled.

I fall into the latter category. Whenever I get too big from my britches, all I need to do is find some stunning work from another to remind me I’m not the sun.

I stumbled across these on Huffington Post this morning…

It’s a reminder of just how far outside the box you can go.

I know, I know…

The phrase “thinking outside the box” has become such a corporate cliche. The phrase is used so much that thinking inside the box has become the new outside of the box.

Just ask my last boss.

But sometimes, ideas like this happen:

Please note the blood spatter makes it all the way onto the parked cars on the street…

You can read the original article and see more here.

Check out Genesis 9:8-17 for insight into the thoughts below.

Sometimes I wonder just how much like today’s world was that of Noah’s.  I certainly know of several people I would put in the category of “righteous”, so the comparison is not exact.  Nevertheless I often wonder how far from experiencing raining down of fire we are.  Praise God, we know we can trust Him to not give us what we deserve.  As in today’s scripture, we know that those who are obedient to the call and command of God have a covenant, a binding contract as it were with the Creator, Lover and Judge of eternity.  He promises to keep us safe from the punishment and wrath that is also promised to those who disobey and deny Him His rightful due.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t recall all of the times I have said or thought that I deserve better, or thatI didn’t deserve to be treated that way, etc.  When it comes right down to it, I almost always think I deserve better.  In fact it’s about time people start recognizing me for who I am.  I have skills.  I am worth so much more than…

Ok.  OK.  You might have noticed the egocentric, self-centered, prideful, arrogant, place your adjective here, bent in that last paragraph.  The sad thing is that all too often these are the thoughts and temptations that go through our heads.  Pride is one of the devils greatest tools for tearing, slipping someone from sainthood onto skid row, spiritually speaking.  Today’s scripture reminds me of the graciousness of our Father.  He has promised His blessing and protection.  Not only that, He shows us His signature on that contract again and again every time there is a rainbow.  Why He keeps making rainbows is beyond me, other than He loves us more than we deserve.

What are you doing to show honor to His love and grace?  Do you live a life that would allow you to hear it said of you, “He/She walked faithfully with the Lord?” (Gen. 6:8-9) What needs to change to make it so?  Let’s do it today.

He has shown you what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. 

What a simple but powerful message.  A recipe for a good life.  God does not ask a lot of us and gives us so much.  Here we are told to be merciful, to be humble and to be just.  In this world that is sometimes harder to do than it should be.  How many times does jealousy creep up on me, mainly with friends who I love and should be happy for and not jealous.  What about doing justly?  How can you leave church and then yell in traffic or not want to be bothered to run errands for your grandparents? What about trying to not think about all the injustice in the world, for woman and children- well what can I do, my little bit won’t help, it’s been going on for years and years- thoughts like that, when every little bit can help and does help.  We recently lost a very kind person who served and helped villages in Africa with just the help of his family and a small ministry and in his passing, his wife still wants to continue their work together even though she is well into her 70’s.  To be humble.  This is another one that creeps up with insecurity.  I’ll try to pomp myself up to make myself feel better.  Or I think if I had a better car, clothes, home location then my life wouldn’t be so complicated.  Let me spend some money on myself and use a credit card, I deserve it.  Why is it so hard to be humble and be happy and content with my circumstances.  This is when I like to take a step back and think of all my wonderful blessings.  I have so many and the fact that I have a pillow and blankets and a bed and a roof over my head and I can pray and be close to God, well that is enough.  I can only ask that I can be shown ways to be humble and just and merciful each and every day.

It’s All About Jesus!

Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin

THE TRUMPET by Bill Burns — November 16, 2009:

I’m the Lord who watches over you. Do not forget it, for I have spoken in My word that I would be with you always. Even though the enemy would try to convince you otherwise, I say to you that I am here and I am with you and I will walk with you. I will produce in you the water of life, the water that flows out of your innermost being. So come and walk with me. Dare to believe that those things that you have heard in these days shall come to pass in your life. Dare to believe what I have called you to be. Walk in the power of My Spirit. For each season has its own power and each season has its own anointing, says the Lord. Walk in the power of this season where a greater flow of My spirit will come forth.

John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns — Nov. 16, 2009:

As, I waited in the presence of the Lord, I found myself craving routine and a sense of stability in circumstances. But, the Lord broke in and said, “I am still shaking many of your places of comfort because they represent areas where you have become stale and religious. I want to bring a fresh wind that will stir renewed interest and excitement in the work that I am doing as opposed to what you are doing! Too many of My people have taken great pride in believing they possess special knowledge, which they use to elevate themselves in the Kingdom. But, I’m looking for those with humble, open, and hungry hearts. They are the ones I will use mightily in this next season. Let My wind blow and let go of thoughts of routine and comfort. Arise to a new level of adventure and expectation.”

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

One may have awakened this morning to the sound of the alarm.  One may have thought it was 3:20 AM for some reason and was pleased to learn it was just a little past 3:00 AM.  One may have lain down for a little while longer.

One got up, logged onto the computer around 3:15 AM.  One opened one’s e-mail to read Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin.  One may have read it twice and then headed off to one’s prayer closet.  One began to clean.

At 3:30 Am, one began one’s praise to the Lord by song.  One confessed one’s sins, thanked the Lord and randomly opened one’s bible to whatever page the Lord led one to.

One may have been led to Nehemiah 2.  One thought, “Lord, what does this have to do with me?”  One read the chapter up to verse 11 hoping that the Lord would shed light on what He wanted one to see in this passage.    One wondered if one should keep reading.  Then one closed the book and asked the Lord if He wanted one to continue to the end.  One opened the Bible again.  This time one’s eyes fell on Psalm 103.  One had read Psalms 103 on Sunday morning and thought one may need to read it again or read Psalms 104.  One felt led to go back to Nehemiah 2 and finished reading the rest of the Chapter.

One then began to seek the Lord’s presence.  One may have gotten quiet and began to quiet one’s soul.  The thoughts in one’s head ceased, the twitching stopped and it got real quiet.  One became afraid.  One began to speak to the Lord with one’s thoughts.  One may not even remember the things one had said in one’s head.  Then the voices came back and the peace was gone.  One sat there trying to get to that place of total silence again.  The alarm went off at 4:30 AM.

One left one’s prayer closet, checked a site on the computer and then logged onto the website to pray for outstanding prayer requests.

Looking back, one may wonder if one was humble before the Lord.  One may try to get in the Lord’s presence again, tomorrow, Lord willing and wait with a humble and contrite spirit.

I am inspired by these verses in 1 Corinthians 13,

4. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

6. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8. Love never fails.

One of the things that I really miss while living in this cold/windy/frigid/ ehm… /nice/magnificent country is hearing the adhan (the call to prayer) summoned from the mosques five times a day. Listening to the various (upto 20) muezzins (callers of the adhan) with different tones but all at the same time is truly a blessed 2-3mts experience that you will have.

Especially having lived in a country like Saudi Arabia where there is a mosque every 2-3 blocks, I and many others used (and some still are) to complain about how everything comes to a complete stand-still during prayer times. Everything from the small baqala (grocery shop) to the largest of the largest supermarket chains (UPDATE: Bigger supermarkets are open during prayer time, but the counters are closed); the smallest start-up company to the biggest banks; and err… an online newspaper as well. There are even times when the traffic is at an all-time low during prayers. More about this can be read here.

And now I can really put the pieces together and get an idea of the complete picture. Getting those time-offs just so that you can pray on time is really something everyone should cherish. An excerpt from “Susie of Arabia”:

Another thing that struck me on this drive was the sheer number of mosques we passed along the way. I know that in Jeddah, there seems to be mosques every few blocks in every direction. But out in the middle of nowhere, it felt that even in extremely remote and sparsely populated areas, mosques stood every couple of miles or so. Some were very minimalist, with a floor, walls, a roof, and of course a minaret, and just bare openings without actual doors or windows affixed. Even very small villages seemed to have numerous mosques within their boundaries. When Muslims are traveling, they can delay saying their prayers until they arrive at their destination, but with mosques conveniently located every few miles, delaying prayer times is not really necessary.

What really made me write this post was this video that I stumbled upon. A British journalist for the BBC, Kate Humble, was in Jeddah(as part of the documentary, The Frankincense Trail) with the film crew where she was taken on top of a building in Balad (downtown Jeddah) during maghrib(sunset prayer). She was so over whelmed by the dozens of adhans that she breaks into tears.

I would like to end this post with this beautiful adhan from a mosque in Malaysia:

PS: For those of you who are wondering what the title of the post is all about, I was trying to make it sound similar to the latest game “Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 2” that hit the stores a few days back.

Reason for Leaving
She made me laugh, that’s why I loved her,
We danced well together, swaying to old songs,
When we were alone, she let me know I was special,
So how did everything go wrong?
She told me I made her feel alive,
Gave her a reason to live,
All this and so much more,
What simple explanation can I give?
So why did I leave her?
She was beautiful and I was proud,
I remember when she acted like she belonged,
I’d show her off to each and every crowd,
I was vain, and she taught me to be humble,
I used her but she used me even more,
She broke me and made me crumble.
She was wild and free, dancing catlike and sensuous,
Drawing me into a passion hot and fierce,
Burning me with both love and anger,
She found a thousand ways my heart to pierce,
Abusive, yet tender, independent, but filled with need,
The way the world loved her consumed me,
My heart’s warnings I did not heed,
Then why did I leave her?
She was too perfect, I could find no flaw,
We read the same books, listened to the same music,
It was nothing I saw,
We took long walks around the zoo,
She’d laugh with delight, I would too,
When we went to plays it was a meeting of the minds,
Later we talked, shared, found each other in the dark,
There was electricity, spark after spark,
Then why did I leave her?
She was intelligent and compassionate,
Being able to share a bond with all living things,
So why was I still searching for meaning,
Why after spending quiet time together,
I still wanted to be alone,
I guess I’ll never know because now she’s gone,
She was too true to be good,
Too good for me and the standards I understood,
She was better than me,
It was very plain to see,
That’s why I left her.

Sunday School | 3 John | Bro. Steve Dawson
“Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.”  -3 John 1:11
-Follow the example of Gaius shown in vs. 1-8, who walked in the truth and love John taught.  Don’t follow the example of Diotrephes in vs. 9-10.

Morning Worship | 1 Corinthians 4:1-13 | Pastor Steve Wainright
“We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.  To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.”  -1 Corinthians 4:10-13
The biggest problem in the Corinthian church: prIde.  The answer to pride is humility.  How do we get humility?  Get before Almighty God.  Stand before His holiness, which is a humbling effect.  When you get before Him, you submit to His Word.

Evening Worship | Leviticus 8:1-9 | Pastor Steve Wainright
“And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”  -1 Corinthians 1:30
This chapter coincides with Exodus 28 and shows the wardrobe of the High Priest.  Each piece is representative of Christ, our High Priest.  We learned that the coat represents Christ’s righteousness, the girdle represents a readiness to serve, the robe represents a right standing with God and fruitfulness, and the onyx stones on the ephod shows that the Lord carries His people close to His heart.  The urim and thummim remind us that the Lord guides us by His Spirit through His Word.  The breastplate reminds us that we are accepted and that the Lord keeps us.  The turban represents holiness unto the Lord.

God works in His people to make them beautiful for His glory!  (Ezekiel 16:8, Psalm 149:4, Isaiah 61:1-3)

Our High Priest is Jesus Christ!  Hebrews 3:1, 4:14-15, 5:10; 6:19; 7:26; 8:1; 9:24-28; 10:19-22

I suppose we are all looking for something, like the characters in The Wizard of Oz. Maybe not as earnestly…or maybe. Each on our own journey separate yet together. You know, that soul dance, bumping up against each other, taking nourishment and delight or offense, seeking what we need, even when incognizant. Our amazing souls create perfect situations for us to meet our needs, even when it doesn’t seem so.

What am I looking for? It isn’t as obvious as the lion looking for courage, the very thing already within. Or is it? If others, those beautiful souls journeying with me, serve as mirrors, are they simply showing me something I already possess?

Oh.

Damn.

So…an unmet need might be a bit more humbling than something like needing to feel heard or respected. Maybe it’s to see how I  pretend everything’s okay when it isn’t; how I justify to have what I think I want; how I minimize disrespectful behavior of others and defend them to maintain peace or status quo; how I stuff my feelings for the same reason.

Breathe.

Love you.